Terrorists Use Google Earth to Target Troops

Terrorists attacking British bases in Basra are using Google Earth images to pinpoint their attacks, according to the Telegraph.

Documents seized during raids on the homes of insurgents last week uncovered print-outs from photographs taken from Google.

The satellite photographs show in detail the buildings inside the bases and vulnerable areas such as tented accommodation, lavatory blocks and where lightly armoured Land Rovers are parked.

Written on the back of one set of photographs taken of the Shatt al Arab Hotel, headquarters for the 1,000 men of the Staffordshire Regiment battle group, officers found the camp's precise longitude and latitude.

While this is a disturbing development, the fault, where fault can be assigned, doesn't lie with Google. Google products, including Maps and Earth, are simply the most readily available products that display satellite imagery. And Google, to the extent of my knowledge, licenses its map content from one or more providers.